Each year on the 12th of December amnesty is given to certain prisoners
in Turkmenistan. Pray that amnesty will be given to Pastor Ilmurad
Nurliev, who was sentenced to four years' imprisonment October 2010.

The case of Asia Noreen, the first Christian woman sentenced to death in Pakistan
on blasphemy charges, suffered a major setback when her most vocal
supporter, the governor of Punjab Province, was gunned down by one of
his police bodyguards this week.Read More

On Jan. 4, while quietly sharing an evening meal, a truckload of
district police officers with guns cocked and ready to shoot burst into
Pastor Wannas house shouting, Stop! Nobody move! They then forcibly
detained 11 Christians and charged them with conducting a secret
meeting without approval. Read More

Twenty-seven year old Seble Hagos Mebrahtu was arrested after being
caught reading her Bible in her bedroom. In a weakened condition
following two weeks of torture and harsh treatment, she died having been
denied medical care for malaria.Read More

This week we pay tribute to Mehari Gebreneguse Asgedom, an Eritrean
brother who died on January 16, 2009. Denied important medical treatment
while in prison, this faithful servant of Christ died for his love for
Christ. Read More

Pastor Dmitry (David) Shestakov was arrested in Andijan, Uzbekistan on Jan. 21, 2007. While he was in a prison labor camp, his wife and his three daughters missed him terribly. Exactly four years later, he was released on Jan. 21, 2011.

Praise
God that Pastor Shestakov is now home with his family. Pray for the
Shestakovs as they adjust back to life together. Pray also that the
church in Andijan will be strengthened.

Your letters on behalf of
prisoners do make a difference! Take time to write a letter to another
prisoner in Uzbekistan, Tohar Haydarov, using the link below.

"If
the Lord delights in a man's way, he makes his steps firm; though he
stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand."
Psalm 37: 23-24

Jailed Pakistani Mother Living in Constant Fear, Husband SaysAsia Noreen, sentenced to death on "blasphemy" charges, has lived in constant fear since the killing of Punjab Gov. Salman Taseer.
"She knows the Muslims have announced a prize on her head and would go
to any lengths to kill her," Noreen's husband, Ashiq Masih, told
Compass. Masih said his wife is "very afraid." Read More

Exactly four years after his arrest Uzbekistan authorities released
Pastor Dmitry (David) Shestakov from the Navoi prison. Waiting at the
gate where his wife, three daughters and several church members tears
of joy were flowing.Read More

On June 10, a Chinese court sentenced Christian bookstore owner,
Shi Weihan, 38, to three years in prison for "illegal business
operations," and given a US$21,975 fine, according to China Aid
Association.
Shi Weihan operated a legal bookstore and only sold books with the
government's approval. His Holy Spirit Trading Company printed Bibles and Christian literature and distributed then freely to local house churches.
Weihan was arrested in November 2007 for printing and distributing Bibles and other Christian literature.

Yang Caizhen, who was
arrested with four other Linfen-Fushan church members in November 2009,
is currently in the hospital. Prison officials told Yang Caizhen's
family to visit her there. This is the second time she has been in the
hospital since she was arrested. The first time, her family was not
informed, so this time they think her condition is more serious. Yang
Caizhen is due to be released in July or August, but her family hopes
she can be released early on medical parole.

Her
daughter also said the prison recently changed its visitor policy.
Previously, almost anyone could visit Yang Caizhen. Now, only close
family members may visit.

Kim Kyung Il has been in prison 10 years. Just a few days ago, VOM
contacts received word that his sentence is expected to be commuted in
March and he may be free in September. Normally this would be cause for
rejoicing, but as soon as Kim Kyung Il is released he'll face
deportation to North Korea.
There, he will almost certainly be executed. Our contact writes, "The
only hope he may have is a huge outpouring of public awareness on this
issue, which might at least delay his execution once he's returned."

Friends
are working frantically to help Kim Kyung Il, but it's not easy. Please
pray with us for a solution, and take action by writing Chinese
officials today.

Father Nguyen, now 64, has warned that he will go on a hunger strike
and refuse medical treatment if he is readmitted to jail on March 15,
2011. The pastor was sentenced to eight years in prison in 2007 for
"damaging national security." He was released March 15, 2010 to undergo a
year's medical treatment after suffering two serious strokes leaving
him partially paralyzed.

Nguyen Van Ly previously served a total of 15 years in jail, including years in solitary confinement. While on medical leave, authorities have prevented the pastor from giving interviews or meeting other democracy activists.

Please pray authorities will not send the Father Nguyen back to prison. Ask for healing for him.